Pride and Promises ✔

Chapter 37

Alright, I'm backkkk! I'd like to express my biggest thanks to everyone who've been waiting patiently for the update and everyone who wished me luck for my exams. Thank you guys! Your comments mean the word to me!

Warning: the chapter you're about to read is quite long. So read it at your own risk. XD

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Jade and Brandon got a baby girl.

Apparently Brandon was home when Jade started having contractions and he took her to the hospital without delay with the help of Adrian's parents. The doctors did not take the risk of waiting for normal delivery and immediately went for C-section. Adrian's family had just been given the news of the baby girl when we'd arrived.

When we'd finally arrived in what felt like a couple of hours but was in fact only around thirty minutes, there was a doctor in his surgical scrub uniform talking to Brandon, who looked like he was about to pass out anytime. I'd never imagined that I'd see the calm and collected doctor this way- anxious and scared. This just showed how much he loved his wife, the thought igniting a feeling of longing deep inside me. When that feeling started messing up with my brain and an image of a certain someone began to form in my head, I forcefully squashed that thought and commanded my mind to focus on the present.

Mr. Stone was the first one to notice us, since Brandon and Mrs. Stone were both busy shedding tears of joy. He came to us and pulled Adrian into a hug. "She's got a baby girl, Ad." I smiled a little as I witnessed this tender moment. It suddenly dawned on me that I was intruding on an intimate family moment. When I'd decided to come here, all I could think was that I wanted to be there for Adrian. I hadn't even stopped to think about the possibility of his family being present here.

Feeling stupid and berating myself for being inconsiderate, I slowly started to back away in hopes of walking away quietly before Adrian's family noticed me.

I had barely taken two steps backward when a hand suddenly clamped my wrist in a tight grip. I looked at Adrian to see him pulling out of the hug with his father. He tugged my hand and brought me close to him. Mr. Stone finally seemed to have noticed me since he raised his eyebrows and smirked at us while I tried my best to keep my blushing mechanism under control.

"Eve, dear, it's good to see you again. You've grown lovelier since the last time we met." He winked at me while I gaped at his words. No wonder Adrian was obsessed with winks and smirks, it must've been in his blood. Mr. Stone gave me another grin and walked towards a woman who was squeezing Brandon into what looked like a painful hug. He reacued Brandon from her hug and pecked her lips softly. That must be his wife, I thought.

The look on everyone's face made me want to paint that very moment in a blank canvas and keep the image tucked away for the rest of my life. This sudden desire to paint something was overwhelming. My hands suddenly itched to pick up a brush again and fill the blank space with an image that would show the true definition of family. But with this desire came the unwanted flashbacks of a certain painting being destroyed, of explosions, deaths...

My dark thoughts, which were slowly beginning to consume my entire being stopped abruptly when I was suddenly engulfed by a pair of arms. I stood still for a moment before I realised that Adrian was hugging me. In public. But I couldn't dwell on that matter for long as I heard him let out a huge breath of relief. I wrapped my arms around him and felt his form tremble a little. It finally dawned on me that despite his efforts to remain calm, he was afraid for his sister. He didn't show it to the world but at the moment, holding him close to me and hearing his rapid heartbeat made me realise that he loved his family more than he let on; he was just good at concealing his emotions from the world.